Connect with us

Foreign

England to open borders to vaccinated U.S., EU citizens soon – Reports

Published

on

Spread the love

By Gistflash News

July 28, 2021

England is expected to open its borders to allow U.S. and European Union (EU) travellers who are fully vaccinated against the Coronavirus (COVID-19) to enter without the need to quarantine, according to reports.

The plans, which would be a boost to the aviation and tourism sectors, were expected to be discussed by ministers on Wednesday, The Guardian and The Times reported.

Advertisement

The Guardian added that conversations were also expected between Whitehall officials and the devolved administrations on whether the change would apply to England only, or all four nations of the UK.

The changes were expected as soon as next week, while countries outside the EU and U.S. could be allowed inbound quarantine-free travel at a later date, The Times added.

It comes after aviation firms claimed a trial has demonstrated the UK can safely exempt fully vaccinated U.S. and EU visitors from self-isolation.

In the Heathrow Airport, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic said their 10-day pilot scheme proved the vaccination status of travellers can be efficiently and accurately checked away from the border.

Around 250 fully vaccinated passengers on selected flights from New York, Los Angeles, Jamaica and Athens earlier this month presented their credentials using paper or digital formats before boarding the plane.

Advertisement

Some 99 per cent of their documents was verified as authentic, with just two passengers’ credentials rejected.

In one case there was a discrepancy between the name on the vaccine card and the name on the passport, while another involved someone who had been fully vaccinated less than 14 days before travel.

The Department for Transport has committed to a formal review of its rules for arriving travellers before Sunday.

Since July 19, people arriving in the UK from amber list locations, such as the U.S., have had to have received both doses of a vaccine in the UK to avoid the requirement to self-isolate for 10 days.

The rules excluded those who had been inoculated elsewhere in the world.

Advertisement

BA chief executive Sean Doyle said the trial provides “the evidence the Government needs’’ to allow fully vaccinated visitors from low-risk countries to enter the UK without self-isolating.

He went on: “The UK needs to safely reopen its borders as soon as possible to ensure loved ones can reunite, business can thrive and global Britain is able to take advantage of the UK’s world-leading vaccination programme.’’

His counterpart at Virgin Atlantic, Shai Weiss, warned that continuing the UK’s “overly cautious approach’’ towards international travel would harm the economic recovery from the virus crisis and put half a million jobs at risk.

He claimed the trial shows airlines would ensure easing of the amber rules was implemented smoothly at pace.

Heathrow boss John Holland-Kaye said: “The vaccine has been a miracle of science, and these trials have shown that we can allow fully vaccinated passengers from the EU and U.S. to visit the UK without quarantine.

Advertisement

“There is now no reason to delay with rolling out the solution from July 31.’’

NAN

Comments

Spread the love
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Foreign

Magnitude 5.8 earthquake hits Greek island of Crete

Published

on

Spread the love

By Gistflash News

Sept 27, 2021

A magnitude 5.8 strong quake hit Greece’s Crete island on Monday, according to the Geodynamics Institute of the National Observatory of Athens.

The tremor’s epicentre was located at a depth of 10 km, some 25 km south of the city of Heraklion, the capital of Crete island, while aftershocks up to 4.3 magnitude have followed, according to Greek scientists.

Advertisement

Material damage has been reported, with no injuries until now, local officials told Greek national news agency AMNA.

Earlier, the Euro Mediterranean Seismological Centre put the quake’s magnitude at 6.2, which was later revised to 6.0.

Xinhua/NAN

Comments
Advertisement

Spread the love
Continue Reading

Foreign

WHO investigators seeking COVID-19 origin going back to China

Published

on

Spread the love

By Gistflash News

Sept 27, 2021

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is launching a new investigation into the origins of COVID-19, months after an earlier probe ended without drawing firm conclusions, according to a report published.

WHO was putting together a team of some 20 scientists, who will be charged with finding new evidence in China and other locales, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Advertisement

The group will examine whether the virus emerged from a laboratory, a theory that has been angrily rejected by China.

In December 2020, WHO investigators began visits to Wuhan, China, where the first known outbreak of the virus took place.

But their March 2021 report said they had gotten insufficient information from Chinese scientists to answer key questions about COVID-19’s origin.

In August, U.S. intelligence agencies issued a separate report saying they also could not make firm conclusions about COVID-19’s origins.

dpa/NAN

Advertisement

Comments

Spread the love
Continue Reading

Foreign

Florida Gov. appoints Nigerian-American, Joseph Ladapo Surgeon-General

Published

on

Spread the love

By Gistflash News

Sept 25, 2021

Ron DeSantis,  Florida Governor,  U.S.  has appointed a Nigerian-American, Dr Joseph Ladapo,  as Florida Surgeon-General and Secretary of the Department of Health.

DeSantis in a statement posted on the Florida Department of Health website,  stated that he was pleased to announce Ladapo for the position.

Advertisement

“I am pleased to announce that  Ladapo will lead the Florida department of health as our state’s next surgeon-general

“Ladapo comes to us by way of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, with a superb background.”

According to him, Ladapo has had both a remarkable academic and medical career with a strong emphasis in health policy research.

The governor said: ” Ladapo will  bring great leadership to the department of health, ” thanking both Dr Scott Rivkees and Dr  Shamarial Roberson for their hard work on behalf of all Floridians.

Lieutenant-Governor,  Jeanette Nuñez described Ladapo’s as, “an excellent choice to serve as our next surgeon general.

Advertisement

“Ladapo has impeccable credentials and a strong vision to effectively serve the people of Florida at the helm of our public health agency.

“Through his service to our state, we will continue Florida’s work to advance our public health goals,” Nuñez said.

Ladapo said he is honored to have been chosen by DeSantis to serve as Florida’s next surgeon-general.

“We must make health policy decisions rooted in data and not in fear.

“From California, I have observed the different approaches taken by governors across the country and I have been impressed by DeSantis’ leadership and determination,” he said.

Advertisement

The new surgeon-general said he was impressed by DeSantis’ leadership to ensure that Floridians were afforded all opportunities to maintain their health and wellness, while preserving their freedoms as Americans.

“It is a privilege to join his team and serve the people of Florida,” he said.

Ladapo was recently granted a professorship at the University of Florida (UF) College of Medicine.

Prior to joining UF, he served as an associate professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA),caring for hospitalised patients.

He is a graduate of Wake Forest University, who also holds an MD from Harvard Medical School and a PhD in Health Policy from Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Advertisement

NAN

Comments

Spread the love
Continue Reading
Enhance your Brand Visibility

LET’S REVAMP YOUR BUSINESS

Let’s keep you updated

Advertisement

HOW TO BUY FOLLOWERS FOR ALL YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS

Gorgeous Bride rocking one of Beyonce’s Hit song

Most Viewed Posts

Trending

Enable Notifications OK No thanks